Matthew 18:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.

NIV: "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

NASB: But he was unwilling, and went and threw him in prison until he would pay back what was owed.

CSB: But he wasn’t willing. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed.

NLT: But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

KJV: And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

NKJV: And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.

Two servants face each other, one on his knees begging for an extension on a loan amount of about 100 days' wages. The other servant has just been forgiven a debt of, roughly, several thousand lifetimes of wages by the king after begging for an extension on the loan (Matthew 18:23–29). What will the man do?

Famously, he refuses to forgive his fellow servant's debt or even to extend the loan. Instead, he has the other man put in debtor's prison until he is able to pay back the full amount of the loan. Debtor's prisons don't exist in many places these days. Then it was a strategy to force a person's family or friends to come up with cash to get them out of prison, since they could not earn money themselves to pay their way out from prison.

This shocking twist in Jesus' parable turns those of us in the audience from rooting for the servant stuck in impossible debt to rooting against a man that is so ungrateful he will not spare another from the fate he just escaped himself. The meaning behind Jesus' parable is creeping closer.

Matthew 18:21–35 answers Peter's question about how many times he should forgive a brother who sins against him. Jesus tells a parable about the servant of a king. The king forgives the man's enormous, unpayable debt. In turn, the servant refuses to forgive the much smaller debt owed him by another and has that man thrown in prison. The king is furious and asks the servant why he did not show the same mercy he had been given. The king has the man jailed until he pays everything. Jesus says that God the Father will do the same to those who do not forgive their brothers.

Jesus uses two questions from the disciples to teach important lessons. The "greatest" in the kingdom is the one who humbles himself like a child. Temptation is unavoidable in earthly life, but it's worth going to extremes to avoid falling for it. Even so, those who fall should not be hated and despised. God the Father values them highly and wants none of them to perish. In fact, Jesus lays out a clear, careful process to confront sin in others before removing them from the community. Christ also replies to Peter's question about forgiveness with a parable. This story represents both God's amazing forgiveness, and the way we ought to respond as Christians.

Matthew 18 follows the action of the previous chapter with teaching from Jesus on several issues. These include humility, using the example of a child. Jesus also teaches about avoiding sin and offering forgiveness to others. Interestingly, the following chapter will also feature references to children and to wealth, as Christ continues to explain the will of God to His disciples.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 9/7/2024 8:06:26 PM